vestibular neuronitis (acoustic neuritis)
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Introduction
Unilateral vestibular dysfunction without hearing loss.
Etiology
- may follow an upper respiratory tract infection in prior 2-3 weeks
- reactivation of Herpes simplex
Pathology
- vestibular dysfunction due to inflammation of the vestibular nerve (may be unilateral)
Clinical manifestations
- acute onset of severe of severe constant vertigo
- vertigo may be exacerbated by head movements
- non-positional* peripheral vertigo
- postural imbalance, positive Rhomberg test
- dizziness
- nausea, vomiting
- no hearing loss
- no photophonophobia
- tinnitus may be noted
- ear pain or fullness in the ear may be noted
- symptoms generally last for hours, > 1-2 days[5]
- symptoms resolve in days to weeks[9]
- residual symptoms may persist for days to months to years
- head-thrust test may be positive
- Dix-Hallpike maneuver* results in delayed (~6 seconds) nystagmus with severe vertigo lasting < 1 minute
* non-positional does not preclude patient from preferring to lie in bed with eyes closed[4]
* non-positional apparently does not apply to head-thrust test
* Dix-Hallpike maneuver does not constitute rapid positional change
Diagnostic procedures
- Weber test: midline
- Rinne test: positive (air conduction > bone conduction)
Differential diagnosis
- Meniere's disease: associated with hearing loss
- labyrinthitis: associated with hearing loss
- benign positional vertigo:
- duration of vertigo < 24 hours
- may be caused by head trauma
- rotatory nystagmus provoked by rapid positional change lasts < 1 minute
- Rhomberg test positive would be positive only during episodes of vertigo
Management
- meclizine (Antivert) 25-50 mg PO every 6 hours
- dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) 50 mg PO every 6 hours
- promethazine (Phenergan) 25-50 mg PO every 6 hours
- methylprednisolone taper over 3 weeks[3]
- valacyclovir no better than placebo[3]
More general terms
References
- ↑ Saunders Manual of Medical Practice, Rakel (ed), WB Saunders, Philadelphia, 1996, pg 1013
- ↑ Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 14th ed. Fauci et al (eds), McGraw-Hill Inc. NY, 1998, pg 106
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Journal Watch 24(17):133, 2004 Strupp M, Zingler VC, Arbusow V, Niklas D, Maag KP, Dieterich M, Bense S, Theil D, Jahn K, Brandt T. Methylprednisolone, valacyclovir, or the combination for vestibular neuritis. N Engl J Med. 2004 Jul 22;351(4):354-61. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15269315
Johnson RT. Vestibular neuritis, or driving dizzily through Donegal. N Engl J Med. 2004 Jul 22;351(4):322-3. No abstract available. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15269310 - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program (MKSAP) 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. American College of Physicians, Philadelphia 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Geriatric Review Syllabus, 8th edition (GRS8) Durso SC and Sullivan GN (eds) American Geriatrics Society, 2013
- ↑ Jeong SH, Kim HJ, Kim JS. Vestibular neuritis. Semin Neurol. 2013 Jul;33(3):185-94. Review. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24057821
- ↑ Baloh RW. Clinical practice. Vestibular neuritis. N Engl J Med 2003 Mar 15; 348:1027 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12637613 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp021154
- ↑ NEJM Knowledge+ Otolaryngology
Le TN, Westerberg BD, Lea J. Vestibular Neuritis: Recent Advances in Etiology, Diagnostic Evaluation, and Treatment. Adv Otorhinolaryngol. 2019;82:87-92. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30947184 Review. - ↑ 9.0 9.1 NEJM Knowledge+ Question ot the Week. August 15, 2023 https://knowledgeplus.nejm.org/question-of-week/1380/
Baloh RW. Clinical practice. Vestibular neuritis. N Engl J Med 2003 Mar 15; 348:1027 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12637613 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp021154 - ↑ Young AS, Rosengren SM, Welgampola MS. Disorders of the inner-ear balance organs and their pathways. Handb Clin Neurol. 2018;159:385-401. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30482329 Review.
- ↑ Baron R, Steenerson KK, Alyono J. Acute Vestibular Syndrome and ER Presentations of Dizziness. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2021 Oct;54(5):925-938. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34294435 Review.